A good example of the problem with America's corporate media is with the latest obsession over "Obama FAIL!!!" They scream about a poll proclaiming, "55% believe Obama will LOSE!!!", but they don't ask any questions as to why those results came out when the actual head to head polls against leading Republicans tell a completely different story. When the Republicans can't even carry a quintessential swing state like Florida or pummel Obama nationally during what's supposed to be his "WORST. MONTH. EVER!!!", why isn't anyone asking why so many Americans believe Obama is certain to lose next year when all relevant data point otherwise?
I think we know the reason why. This is the narrative the media want. They know nothing drives up ratings and campaign ad buys like a knock-down, drag-out, neck-n-neck horse race. And they know President Obama is no longer the "sexy" "new guy", so they continue to search desperately for someone, ANYONE!, in the Republican Party who they can crown as "THE Next HOT Political Commodity!" as Republican primary voters still can't figure out which flavor of "TEA" they dislike the least.
Yet while the media keep asking stupid questions and providing even more asinine answers about Campaign 2012, they continue to ignore the real story of the year that they're too afraid to publicize. This is what most of the media won't talk about:
These were Ronald Reagan's own words in 1985:
We’re going to close the unproductive tax loopholes that allow some of the truly wealthy to avoid paying their fair share. In theory, some of those loopholes were understandable, but in practice they sometimes made it possible for millionaires to pay nothing, while a bus driver was paying ten percent of his salary, and that’s crazy. [...] Do you think the millionaire ought to pay more in taxes than the bus driver or less?
See how effortlessly they fit into what Barack Obama is saying in 2011:
Now, when I point this out, some of the Republicans in Congress say, ‘oh you’re engaging in class warfare.’ Let me tell you something. Years ago, one great American had a different view. I’m going to get the quote, just so you know I’m not making this up. A great American said that he thought it was ‘crazy’ that certain tax loopholes made it possible for millionaires to pay nothing, while a bus driver was paying ten percent of his salary.
Alright. You know who this guy was? It wasn’t a Democrat. It wasn’t some crazy socialist. It was Ronald Reagan. It was Ronald Reagan. Last time I checked, Republicans all thought Reagan made some sense. So next time you hear one of those Republicans in Congress accusing you of class warfare, you just tell them I’m with Ronald Reagan. I agree with Ronald Reagan that it’s crazy that a bus driver pays a higher tax rate than some millionaire because of a loophole in the tax code. And by the way, I don’t mind being called a warrior for the working class. You guys need someone working for you.
When today's Republican Party is even attacking long time conservative icon Ronald Reagan as "SOE-SHUL-IST!!!", why won't the media notice? And when more and more "ordinary people" "occupy Wall Street" and ask more questions about America's entire political system and why it has to be corrupted with so much corporate money, why won't the media notice? Well, I can definitely answer that last question. It's easier, cheaper, and less threatening to corporate media owners to just "pin the blame on Obama" and craft the 2012 narrative around "Obama FAIL!!!" than dig deeper in Washington and notice the bigger problem with American politics today.
In case you missed this now viral video featuring one blogger challenging an international media empire, watch:
Right there, we have a quick summary of what's wrong with our politics, the media's coverage of it, today. It's easy to just look at the angst and frustration now commonplace throughout America and make snapshot judgments on President Obama's reelection campaign. It takes much harder work to dig deeper and tackle the more serious questions of why Congress has taken no action this year to curb unemployment and address the deepening poverty crisis, and why the Republican Party has fallen off the deep end in celebrating extremely regressive and ineffective economic policy. And of course, that kind of work by reporters may not be appreciated by their corporate overlords. So instead, we continued to be subjected to more mindless "Obama FAIL!!!" drivel as media pundits keep searching for the perfect Republican candidate of their dreams and more "ordinary people" just get more frustrated.
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